No Aces?
by Amatsu Rein
Summary: Its the only time she's ever lost at strip-poker! -ON HIATUS-
1. Chapter 1

**No Aces?**

_Summary: Its the only time she's ever lost at strip-poker._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Inyasha or any of its characters._

_Authors Note: Apologies in advance for all those that lose the game by reading this story. Its in there for effect. Honestly._

**Chapter One**

How had they done it? Six straight losses in a row. Six articles of clothing on the floor. Only her over-sized hoodie remained on her person and the three other men at the table were grinning now at her seventh loss. She was out of the game, and soon to be naked for the first time in front of an audience.

She couldn't understand it. She never lost. People regularly said she had horseshoes up her ass, and she agreed with them. In all her life, she had never lost a game of anything. Monopoly, eye spy, Kingdom Hearts, or even The Game. Never. But now, seven times straight...

"C'mon, Kags, off with it." taunted one of the other players, her ex Inyasha Tashio. "You know the rules."

She glarred at him as another, Koga Wolfe, added, "Don't be shy, Kagome."

She unzipped the blue hoodie and pulled it off her shoulders, earning a gasp from the three. She settled the coat on the back of her chair. "There, happy?" she snapped. All three nodded. "Good, now I'm going home."

She stood to collect her clothes, but Inuyasha stopped her with a hand on the stomach. "You lost, Kags. The clothes stay here."

"What?" she snapped, and suddenly the appartments front door slammed open. There, glarring at his younger half-brother, was the super-success story Sesshomaru Tashio.

Koga's face went white. "Sesshomaru! What are you doing home so early? I thought you were on a hot date wi-"

"Quiet!" Sesshomaru barked, obviously pissed. "What is the half-breed doing here?"

"We were just leaving!" Miroku, the third player, chirpped, grabbing Inuyasha's arm and pulling him towards the door. Kagome dropped to the floor, an arm crossed over her breasts and eyes warily stuck on the forbidding, deathly handsome demon in the doorway. She pulled her shirt over her legs. Inuyasha didn't fight his friend, prefering to live to fight another day. The two quickly disappeared out the door and down the hall.

Sesshomaru's glare turned on Koga. The wolf demon smiled sheepishly. "I guess I'm homeless tonight, huh?"

"Get out." Sesshomaru said darkly, vemon dripping from every word. "Now."

Koga jumped up and ditched Kagome too, scared for his life like the other two. It was a well-known fact that Sesshomaru hated his half-brother, and humans, and had a hellish temper when it came to them. Particularly if the half-breed and humans were in his living space. This was his living space, along with Koga's, but mostly his.

Sesshomaru's red-tinged golden gaze fell on her now, but she didn't say anything. It only took about thirty seconds for the red to melt away and his demeanor to become calm once more. The icy mask was put on. He wasn't cruel enough to pull out a rage on a tiny, defenseless, naked human girl. He probably saw it as a waste of energy. Energy that could be used to kill the idiot males that had invaded his home.

Kagome broke eye-contact to look at the underside of the table. What she saw was an ace taped to it, and a couple face cards, and she glared at them. He'd cheated. The stupid slimeball had fucking CHEATED.

Then a coat dropped on her shoulders and she was distracted from her anger. She looked up, finding Sesshomaru going back to the kitchen with a pair of glasses in one hand, closing the door with the other. He was now void of his work jacket, and Kagome remember exactly what state of dress she was in. She scrambled to collect her clothes, deciding to think of all the glorious punishments she could inflict later. Right now she needed to get out of this gods home clothed and get home. Enough strangers had seen her skin today.

"Throw those in the wash, Ms. Hirgurashi." Sesshomaru's voice wafted over, calm, cool, and collected. She winced. "They smell of booze and horny male."

"Its fine, I'll wash them when I get-"

"Now, Ms. Hirugrashi."

She sighed and did as she was told. How the man even remembered her name, she didn't know, and she didn't want to know. What she wanted to do was to go home. A glance at his appartment, though, and she felt guilty. The guys had gone a little wild with the pizza and the beer. A couple boxes and bottles on the coffee table, a half-eated slice laying directly on the once-shiney glass. Bottles littering the count-tops and the table, and the garbage overstuffed with bigger glass bottles once belonging to rum, tequlia, and other fancy alcohols. It was safe to say that they had done a number on the place before she had even arrived. Thank god she didn't drink. Things might have gone worse. Alot worse.

She was about to pick up some of the bottles to help clean up, but Sesshomaru's voice intervined again. "In my room there should be a shirt laying on my bed that you can wear."

She nodded, even though his back was turned to her, and she quickly discovered the huge white t-shirt on his neat, blue bedcover. She put his coat over the back of a chair in his room and pulled the piece of clothing over his head. It almost reached her knees, giving her a _very _good idea of exactly how big this man was. After that, she popped back out into the living space and picked up the bottles she had been going for before. Sesshomaru was washing dishes, something she never thought she'd see him do. She frowned at him as she approached with the bottles, and gave him a little shove when she put them down. It was strange to see a full-grown man of his qualities doing something so mundane. "Here, I'll do that."

She ignored his examining of what she now wore and took over washing dishes, bottles, glasses, etc. He went to start clearing away the cards on the table and the pizza boxes. Every so often he would discover a cup and diposit it on the counter beside her to be washed. Other than that, they didn't interact at all. No words were spoken. No eyecontact was made. And it got the job done one hell of alot faster.

Two garbage bags sat by the door at the end, that held all the boys lost clothing as well as their leftover mess, their deck of cards, and their deck of aces and face cards. Kagome sat on the couch once she had finished wiping down the tables, sighing heavily and earning a look from Sesshomaru. She smiled at him and closed her eyes, curling up on his couch to rest until her clothing was finished washing and drying. A moment later, a blanket was lain over her, and she looked up just as Sesshomaru sat down and turned on the TV, seeking the midnight news. She sighed again and closed her eyes. There wasn't much point in trying to tell him to _not_ wait up for her to leave.

While the reporter on TV talked about some murder or another, Sesshomaru said, "I'm supposing since I found you naked you lost."

"Nope." she replied. "It doesn't count if they cheat."

"Fair enough." there was a moments quiet. "Should I have their eyes removed?"

She giggled. "I can deal with them, Sesshomaru. Don't you worry."

"Hn." There was more silence between them, only broken by some whiney teen on the TV, telling the world about how he got into the drug world. Sesshomaru shut off the TV and went to change over the washing. Kagome steadily fell more into sleep-mode. When Sesshomaru rejoined her, he had a fully unconsious 18 year old on his hands. He frowned at the tiny human, disapproving her falling asleep on his couch but seeing no point in waking her. When half asleep she had a tendancy to speak without thinking and act like a seven year old. It was cute, undoubtedly, but he'd never admit to it.

He picked her up, deciding the couch was no place for her to be sleeping, and went to lay her down in his own comfy bed, cocooned by blankets and pillows as she liked to be. That was another thing he would never let her know he knew.

Even when her clothing was ready to be reinhabited he didn't wake her. Instead, he settled her clothing next to his own for the morning and laid down next to her, taking a quick whiff of her hair to see if she still reeked of his brother, booze and his friends. She did, unfortunately, and he scrunched up his nose in disgust. He could hardly locate her own addicting scent under it.

But she did look good in his shirt, which smelled strongly of him. So, he simply moved his nose to places that smelled far more agreeable, like her stomach and small breasts. There is was just his and her smell. Yes, far more agreeable. With his head on her stomach, he drifted off to sleep easily, the girl herself not complaining any either.


	2. Chapter 2

**No Aces?**

_Summary: Its the only time she's ever lost at strip-poker._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Inyasha or any of its characters._

_Authors Note: Your reviews were wonderful, and I thank you for every word you took the time to send me. With reading them, and re-reading the original posted story, I too wish to know what happens when Kagome wakes up the next morning, and how she gets Inuyasha back. I never really thought past the initial "Sesshomaru saves her ass" thing._

**Chapter Two**

Morning found Kagome all snuggly warm and quite happy. How couldn't she have been? She just had the best sleep she'd had in months, going back to when Inuyasha had first dumped her for being a prude. She really couldn't say what it was that had changed, since they really had only gone for the occasional coffee together, or maybe a movie if Inuyasha didn't feel cheep, but the "big break" had made her into a complete insomniac.

Well, she now knew she needed to do something about her mattress at home. That would be a _very _good start.

She stretched lazily, like a cat, and her eyes snapped open in surprise when something kept her from doing so comfortably. Something on her stomach that wasn't really heavy, but attached to something heavy. She frowned when she discovered that is was an arm, or a pair of arms, rather, effectively holding a silver-haired person to her middle. A male person, but much stonger-built than Inuyasha had been. Bigger, too. The being nuzzled her stomach, purring for a half a moment before turning 24-carrot gold eyes on her, still fogged with sleep.

Her eyes widened a good deal, not remembering what the man had done for her the night before. When the memories did return, though, she calmed, Sesshomaru still fixing her with that sweet, bleary look. She smiled at him and said, "Good morning."

He mumbled something, sending strong vibrations through her tummy, probably some sort of positive reply. He turned his head back into her stomach, more than happy to go right back to sleep. She took this opportunity to touch his hair, something she'd wanted to do for a _very _long time. His hair was so much longer than his half-brothers had ever been, and so much softer. This man obviously prided himself on his appearance as well as his power. She amused herself by carefully untangling it with her fingers. It took all of five minutes for Sesshomaru to get sick of the pulling sensations on his head. He had her wrists in one hand in a snap, and continued to doze against her stomach. She frowned at him and wriggled. "No fair. If we're gonna stay like this, then I get to play with your hair."

He propped himself up, letting go of her wrists, to look down at her with a very serious face, although obviously not serious at all. "You will not be playing with my hair."

"Why? Is it demeaning?" she giggled.

"Yes." he answered simply, but she didn't miss the playful sparks in his 20-carrot gold eyes.

"Well, I think its endearing." she said devilishly, poking him in the chest. He raised his perfect eyebrows at her and she laughed. She sat herself up by way of hugging him. "So, what's for breakfast?"

"Hn," was his reply, probably because he had his nose in her neck, inhaling like she was some sort of drug. So, she poked him in the chest again and attempted to go find out for herself. But, of course, Sesshomaru quickly returned her to a laying down position, weighting her down with his own muscly bulk, nose still in her neck. He obviously had no intentions of getting up yet, but Kagome's stomach had other ideas. So, she wriggled. "Stop moving, woman." he growled softly, nuzzling her with his nose.

"I have a name, you know." she muttered in reply. Even though it was quiet, she knew he heard her because he 'hn'ed again, but he did no more, so she wriggled again. He attempted to lock her into a single position with his arms. "Its Kagome."

He lifted his head to look her in the eyes, blue to gold. He held her captivated for a moment before softly saying. "I know your name." Their noses touched as he slowly, huskily continued, "Ka-go-me."

The girl couldn't find a good response to that, and the man couldn't think of a way to keep going, outside of having his way with her and destroying all chances of keeping her as a friend. He liked having at least one friend who he couldn't control, and he really didn't want to change it.

Well, a part of him didn't, at least. Every other part wanted him to lose the safe mind-set and go for it.

"Um..." Kagome fidgeted under him, adverting her gaze to something less embarassing, which ended up being more embarassing, cause her eyes landed on his hard, beautifully defined chest. "How about breakfast...?"

He jumped on the excuse to get away from her. "And you need a shower." he told her in getting up, effectively giving her freedom. She frowed at him. "You still smell like my damned half-brother, his friends, and an umseemly amount of narcotics."

She giggled as he left her, and it made him smile.

----------------------

Kagome spent a long while in the shower, most likely trying very hard to smell nice for the full-blooded demon whose company she shared. The man himself cooked, another mundane thing she couldn't see him doing, but something he was very good at at the same time. Scrambled eggs, hashed browns, bacon, orange juice: the works. The smell alone was heaven, and Kagome hoped it tasted just as good. She was a growing girl, after all.

Once again dressed in her own clothes, eating a meal to die for, Sesshomaru could only watch as the young adult turned a meal for two into a meal for one and a half. She really was hungry, and full of compliments on his cooking finese. She, herself, was not so fine in the kitchen. Her skillz were limited to the microwave and cleaning dishes like a pro. She rarely saw food of this quality, and she enjoyed it. Watching her made him want to laugh, it always did, but he never actually did it. That would be out of character, and people would try to take advantage of him. That, in turn, would lead to the discovery of several mutilated, unrecognizable bodies being discovered in dark allies. Obviously, that would be...unattractive.

So, he decided to ask, "What did you have in mind when you said you could deal with them?"

"What?" The question took Kagome completely by surprise, and at first she didn't know what he was talking about.

"Last night, when I offered to releive those idiots of their eyes, which I should do anyways, you said you could deal with them." he explained patiently.

Kagome looked at him blankly for a moment, her fork paused halfway to her mouth with some hashbrowns on it. "I did?"

"Yes, you did."

"Oh." Kagome frowned, putting down her fork and trying to think. After a moment, she said, "Probably something along the lines of putting old, embarassing photos on the interwebz or something. Like the ones from that party Inuyasha insisted on dragging me to last summer, where I photo-whored his dancing naked on the roof with a gay guy cause I was bored." she smiled. "If that's not damaging, then I don't know what is."

Sesshomaru couldn't help but chuckle. "Kagome, my dear girl, I have a far better idea."

--------------------

They saw Inuyasha that afternoon while walking in the local park. They had chosen that park for that reason; they both knew that Inuyasha played basketball there every afternoon, 3-7, like clockwork. Kagome was dressed nicely now, as though she were on a date in a cute little sundress of pink and tangerine colors. Sesshomaru had picked it out for her earlier, deciding it was his responsibilty to make her as appealing as possible. It was part of the plan, just as his business suite was to make it look like all his power and fearsome-ness were being restrained only by the proper conducts of the world.

It was also a part of the plan to make Inuyasha come up to them, blindly mad at Kagome for going out with Sesshomaru, even though it was not his place to be mad at her at all. Before he could really start yelling at his brother, though, Kagome loudly, loud enough for his friends and the rest of the park to hear, said, "No, Inuyasha, I will _not _let you use my appartment to shoot child pornography, now please! Stop asking!"

The park, that had once been bustling with life, went dead silent. Kagome, and even Sesshomaru, barely managed to contain their laughter all the way back to the car. The park stayed quiet until Inuyasha was pretty much shunned back into the city streets, pouting and probably trying to think of a way to get back at his ex and his brother. Watching him leave made Kagome start to laugh, again, and Sesshomaru just smirked.

"One down," the man smirked, "Two to go."

**End**

_Author's Note: I hope that ending was more satisfactory to you all, and I hope you enjoyed it. Truly, if you wish to hideously embarass someone, just very loudly say something like, "No, I will not film your gay porn for you." or something equally as...publicly unacceptable. I have nothing against gays, just so you know. It is simply the example that was used on me. _


End file.
